Guilds are made in Indonesia now?

[mikewalker]

Welcome to today's planet Earth... EVERYTHING is made in Indonesia now! they have some rocking guitar factories there (among other things!)

 

[BadSanta1281]

I am simply disappointed with quality USA instrument companies with a long history that created the iconic instruments we love, opening factories overseas in places where labour is cheap and trying to sell the same products, when the quality is not the same. It's disappointing.

Have you actually played the latest Guild Starfire I bass or are you claiming it is of lower quality based on some other criteria?

 

[DJ Bebop]

I know nothing about Indonesian Guilds. I do know that Indonesian-made instruments are potentially as good as any other instrument, period. I have many basses made in many countries, and I can say that the country of origin is absolutely not an indicator of the quality of the bass.

Yep it's not so much the "made in (you favorite country here)" but more about are they made on the right CNC machines and is some human interaction on QC is involved, regardless of what geopoint they are on, on the planet.

The amount of time dedicated to QC is generally made at the corporate level and not at the factory floor level.

 

[Loride]

Have you tried one? If not, maybe you should before stating so definitively that the quality is not the same.

I have a MIM Fender P that is amazing. And a Korean Danelctro reissue that is too.

But my #1 is a USA Gibson that I love. But honestly it definitely had more quality issues than the others.

Point is, you can't generalize like that.

Did you actually read my original post properly? Or did you read what you wanted to read? I never said the quality was different. I haven't played one so I can't comment on that. I said it cheapens the brand. Makes the originals less valuable. It makes a Starfire bass much less rare as you can get them brand new and much cheaper.

The amount of people commenting on here that haven't read my post properly and are talking about the quality of instruments here are missing the point all together.

I did mention quality in a later reply because let's be honest. The quality won't be the same. Sometimes the USA stuff is lower in quality. The same instrument made in the same factory on the same day will be of different quality.

 

[bobdabilder]

I think, in the future, people will qualify their guild as usa guild or indo guild etc. I believe it cheapens the perception of the name to some extent. That stigma may go away over time.

 

[BadSanta1281]

Wasn't Fender building some Guild branded acoustic guitars in China way back in the 2000s?

 

[Rolling Thunder]

This'll learn ya good. Seriously, this will blow your mind:

 

[elgranluis]

I am comparing a USA made Guild to a Indonesian made Guild. Not a CII Fender Jag with a MIA Music Man or anything of that nature. Apples for apples only.

I have Japanese made stuff and they are pretty awesome. I am not saying stuff made in Asia is low quality. Read my post carefully. This is NOT a thread to say stuff made in Asia isn't up to scratch. Because that simply isn't true

I simply don't like it when a company makes the 'same' product they have been making for decades to high standard and making it elsewhere for cheap.

I’ve owned both , the Indonesian was a far superior instrument than the Mia 1966 starfire ii I owned.

 

[winston]

Wasn't Fender building some Guild branded acoustic guitars in China way back in the 2000s?

Perhaps. Fender also resuscitated the DeArmond brand for some Guild knockoffs like the Pilot bass back then, not sure where they were made.

 

[Barton Lee]

I've owned a Korean-made 2017 Starfire II for a few years now and have used it on numerous paying gigs, with many compliments from other musicians and audience members. Yes, the original US-made Guilds deserve their reputation and may well be quite superior to the reissues, but I'm not a vintage Guild fanboy and wanted a much more affordable version of the real thing that I wouldn't be afraid to gig at local bars. (I haven't played the Starfire I but have seen very good reviews of it as well). If you've actually played these basses and didn't care for them or their quality, that's totally fine and a respectable opinion to hold.

To simply offer the opinion however that the current reissues of Guild basses "cheapens the brand" and that their existence is somehow regrettable, let alone that their country of manufacture has an impact on this, sounds like pointless trolling to me.

 

[roswell1965]

Makes the originals less valuable. It makes a Starfire bass much less rare as you can get them brand new and much cheaper.

Those 70's era MIA instruments you mention are no less rare today because Guild has moved some of its modern production to Indonesia. And I'm not sure how you figure that same move will devalue the older instruments. Are vintage guitar dealers taking a hit on their 50's and 60's Strats because Fender today builds them in China? I think not.

 

[blastoff99]

And that'll do.